After six seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Mookie Betts knows full well how challenging it can be to play at Yankee Stadium.
But on Tuesday night, the superstar outfielder experienced something unlike anything before in the Bronx.
After tracking down a first-inning fly that traveled into foul territory in Game 4 of the World Series, Betts was forced to play defense against an overzealous New York fan who tried to rip the baseball out of his glove. The Yankees supporter successfully ripped the baseball away from Betts, but umpires quickly ruled fan interference and the former was removed from the game.
The fan, 38-year-old Austin Capobianco, attended the high-stakes contest with his brother, Darren, who offered details of the incident to The Athletic.
“I just see the ball kind of — I don’t want to say (go) up for grabs, if that makes sense,” the 29-year-old told Brendan Kuty. “And then Mookie was swearing at us. Not good.”
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Betts obviously had every right to be ticked off at the Capobianco brothers, but he was cooled off by the time the Yankees extended the best-of-seven series with an 11-4 win. The eight-time All-Star called the sequence “irrelevant” and insisted his wrist was “perfectly fine.”
The Dodgers star will be hoping for no run-ins with Bronx bozos Wednesday evening when the sides meet for Game 5.
Featured image via Brad Penner/Imagn Images
